AFT Washington, AFL-CIO

Training opportunity: Young Workers Unite

https://www.tlmlabor.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=926738

If Initiative 2117 passes, this source of jobs and revenue is seriously threatened. And 45,000 jobs is nothing to sneeze at. The Climate Commitment Act has been a good thing, overall, and a strong start in rectifying our climate problems.

Report: WA's cap-and-invest program could add 45,000 jobs, $9 billion Washington's clean energy law could bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the state, according to a new report. Greenline Insights' analysis of the Climate Commitment Act, the state's cap-and-invest law passed in 2021, finds it will create 45,000 jobs and generate more than $9 billion i...

These look like great offerings to deepen your labor knowledge!

💥 Checkout Our Fall Public Offerings! - https://mailchi.mp/seattlecolleges.edu/fall-2024

Mayfield: It's time for Boeing to do right by their employees Boeing, now is your chance to do exactly that and to truly fix a problem with your employees more than two decades in the making.

We saw this last year, in advocating for improved paraeducator pay: the prototypical school funding model is not working. We agree fully with the authors of this op-ed. The funding model must change, and the Legislature must meet its duties to students and communities.

WA school finance model needs to change to reflect reality | Op-Ed State funding for distinct elements of “basic education” no longer matches what it costs to adequately support students.

This is tomorrow! Be there - this is a big deal for all of us!

We'll also be sharing a rally to stop the merger, but in case you haven't been following it, the Kroger/Albertsons merger is a real threat to workers and to people who like to eat regularly.

“Musser pressed on McMullen’s promise not to close stores. He admitted that after the merger he could close an unspecified number, whether to relocate a store to a larger location or to close or consolidate stores in a struggling geographical market.”
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2024/09/05/kroger-merger-news-update-ceos-defend-albertsons-takeover/75082181007/

Al Brisbois was an astonishing presence in our labor family. We at AFT Washington truly regret his passing; he was a towering figure of a person, and we invite you to learn more about his life. With thanks to Roger Carlstrom for this obituary.

Alfred LeRoy Brisbois, a Spokane Indian Tribal member and former WSLC Officer, passed away in July.

A fierce advocate for justice, read more about his life from Roger Carlstrom:

https://www.thestand.org/2024/09/al-brisbois-former-wslc-officer-dies-at-91/

It's exciting every time a new local organizes, but (as may resonate for many people) librarians have a special place in many people's hearts, and it's always extra special when librarians organize. Congratulations to the librarians in Central Ohio who've unionized - welcome to your labor family!

‘We are what a union looks like’ In Ohio, a library workers labor movement takes off

What a bananas statement. School shootings are a fact of life in America, nowhere else. That means that we can, if we have the will, change the circumstances that make school shootings happen. They're not an inevitable law of the universe.

JD Vance Laments School Shootings As 'Fact Of Life' The Republican vice presidential nominee's comments came one day after a school shooting in Georgia left four dead.

We like to remind people periodically about The Stand, Labor's daily newsletter for Washington state. If you aren't subscribed, you're really missing out!

Today’s Labor news:
✍️ Su urges good faith bargaining for Boeing/IAM
✍️ Doctors organize in Skagit, Mt. Vernon
✍️ UAW wins union recognition at battery plant
✍️ Gen Z backs Harris by double digits
✍️ Vote NO on I-2117 to p**s off billionaires

https://www.thestand.org/2024/09/boeing-negotiations-doctors-organize-gen-z-backs-harris/

If you have to cheat to sway opinion, you're not as much of a populist as you'd like people to think you are.

No wonder the Trump-Vance campaign is collapsing.

We love to see it!

Paraeducators in our state do hard jobs for bad wages. It's not acceptable, nor are the poor wages for Classified workers more broadly. The state is dealing with competing financial priorities, but they appear to be taking the view that paraeducators, classified staff, WFSE members, and WPEA members can all just make do with less money, and it's time for that attitude to change.

www.thestand.org

In case any of our locals are curious, we would LOVE to do another Reading Opens The World event in Washington state! Let us know if you're interested!

We shared this on Threads, but if you haven't heard, JD Vance has said that teachers (meaning women - sorry men!) who don't have kids "disturb" him. He also launched some personal attacks at AFT President Randi Weingarten that fit right into that same vein of argument.

In reality, teachers (men, women, and others alike) are some of the most invested, committed people out there. We know every day what it's like to plan for a better future, because that's what you're doing when you get up in front of a class, or you serve nutritious meals to students, or you bring students to school on the bus you drive, or any of the many, many ways education workers build a better future. Vance is wrong, his view is strange, and we stand against him, in solidarity with teachers and education workers!

Add your name to demand JD Vance and his allies stop the attacks on educators.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/add-your-name-stop-jd-vances-attacks-on-educators/?source=fb

It's almost Labor Day!

Enjoy a Union Made Labor Day - 💪 🎊 🌭 🍔

If you're a member at one of our colleges where WPEA has a bargaining unit (Edmonds, Pierce, or Skagit Valley) join WPEA for an informational picket tomorrow, August 28th! Details in the article.

"2% is milk, not a COLA" — The STAND Public workers are holding informational pickets at seven colleges across Washington. At some colleges, near 60% of workers make so little that they qualify for state assistance.

Honestly, this is just a nice point, well made, for your Friday. If you know anyone who thinks Trump and Vance are pro family and need something to say, you can point this out. You've got to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

THIS 🎯

AFT President Randi Weingarten will be speaking at the DNC this afternoon at 3:45 Pacific Time - that's practically now!

You can watch her remarks here.

Watch the Convention - Democratic National Convention How to watch How you can watch the historic convention events at home

We love sharing these lists for holidays - I think this is the first time I've seen one for Back To School. Buy union for your school year!

Union-made school supplies. 🍎📒✏️

We stand in solidarity with WFSE on this - we work on the same campuses, we respect and value their work, and we know that they deserve fair compensation and a good contract!

Public employees plan statewide walkout — The STAND At 12:00 pm on September 10, unionized public employees at state agencies, community colleges and four-year universities will Walkout for Washington to demand livable wages, safe staffing levels, and respect for the Washingtonians that depend on their services.

It's always interesting to see whether management understands what it takes to push workers into a strike, and it's pretty clear in this case that Providence execs at Kadlec do not. it's also interesting (in a different sense) when we see inequitable compensation for executives and know that it comes at the cost of workers' pay.

The strike starts August 20th.

Healthcare workers at Kadlec set strike date — The STAND More than 1,100 healthcare workers issue 10-day ULP strike notice The following is from SEIU Healthcare 1199NW: RICHLAND, WA (August 14, 2024) — More than 1,100 techs and service workers at Kadlec united in SEIU Healthcare 1199NW will strike for seven days starting August 20 to denounce Providence...

We agree completely! It's particularly noteworthy how many working adults, first-generation college students, and racially diverse students find their path to education at and through CTCs.

Washington state's CTCs are some of the best return on investment for the state and the student alike that this state has.

Community colleges are the unsung heroes of American education | Op-Ed Community and technical colleges offer flexible, affordable and accessible pathways to higher education, and equip students with job-ready skills.

This looks like a really great approach to one aspect of cost-free college: who qualifies? Opening it to anyone who applies for federal financial aid and doesn't have a bachelor's is smart!

Massachusetts expands tuition-free community college to cover all students New MassEducate program is among the broadest in the nation, though private colleges worry it may cost them students.

Something to watch for, as we keep an eye on the student debt landscape.

Teachers’ union sues major US federal student loan servicer, alleging ‘abuses’ American Federation of Teachers says Missouri’s Higher Education Loan Authority ‘misleads and misinforms’

An already-exciting election got more exciting yesterday with the selection of Governor Tim Walz for the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket. Walz - among other qualifications - is a former AFT member and former preK-12 teacher!